The Climb of 3D Printing
History & Core Components
When questioned about when 3D printing originated most people might assume within the last 20 years, as 3D printing is currently entering its prime. However 3D printing technology has a sort of pass-along-to-the-next origin story. Beginning with a Japanese patent lawyer called Dr. Hideo Kodama as the first person to file a patent for Rapid Prototyping (RP) technology. He unfortunately missed the deadline and his application was denied. (Flynt, 2018) Four years later a team of French researchers attempted the technology and they soon after had to quit the project as the interest for 3D printing wasn’t there. This leads us to 1986 when an American inventor, named Charles Hull obtained the patent for the SLA machine, a version of the 3D printer. “This was the first ever device of its kind to print a real physical part from a digital (computer generated) file.” (Flynt, 2018) Hull wasn’t the only patent around the time that was built with 3D printing in mind (Flynt, 2018), however it is only the best of the best and the companies that were able to stay afloat that survived.
“SLA is special because it allows designers to create their 3D models using digital data files. They then upload these files to the printer to produce real physical, 3D objects, one layer at a time.” (Flynt, 2018) Hull did not know how big his device would become and now most art schools have at least one 3D printer, however in the beginning acquiring the materials needed was difficult and highly expensive. There was a movement in 2005 led by Dr. Adrian Bowyer, “the challenge was to create a 3D printer that had the ability to build itself, or at least print the parts needed for the new machine,” he named this project RepRap, short for The Replication Rapid-Prototyper Project: in 2008 the RepRap Darwin 3D printer was created. (Flynt, 2018) This was the first time people began to take 3D printing seriously and the interest in it began peaking as people were able to realize that they had the power to create anything they could imagine.
We are now standing in a world of possibilities with 3D printing technology, from being able to print tissues for humans and print parts for cars that would normally take months to manufacture. “3D Printing brings two fundamental innovations: the manipulation of objects in their digital format and the manufacturing of new shapes by addition of material.” (Essop, Sertoglu, Hanaphy, Petch, & Vialva, 2020) The term 3D printing started as a buzzword and is still kind of thrown around with that tone to this day. Most people think of 3D printing and imagine that an object will just manifest out of thin air on their command. However, in truth the 3D printing process is a little more complicated than inputting an image. According to the 3D Printing Industry in the Process section of their instruction guide The Free Beginner’s Guide, even though there are many types of 3D printers, the process will always begin with a 3D digital model. “The model is then ‘sliced’ into layers, thereby converting the design into a file readable by the 3D printer.” (Essop, Sertoglu, Hanaphy, Petch, & Vialva, 2020) The model will then be layered in accordance to the design and the printer’s process. The shape formed from this layering process does not always come out smooth, but will come out as the 3D model designed.
Diffusion
When referring to Roger’s Adoption categories (2003), 3D printing was not well known outside of those who already were aware of the process and it took a few years for the majority of the world to catch up; therefore those who have been previously attached to the printer’s process are part of the early adopters, while the world will be part of the late adopters and more significantly the late majority. Although there are many people nowadays that know of 3D printing technology, there is still more worthy experimentation to be done with what we can print and how useful the printers can be to the everyday consumers. Although many schools and companies have begun to integrate 3D printing into their work, we still lack enough understanding on what the 3D printer’s primary use is. What began as a way to build engineering materials from anywhere and with ease, rapidly developed into 3D printing that ends on two different spectrums. On the high end of 3D printing, the materials and systems in place are still very expensive and the primary focus is the production of higher value materials and more complex parts for certain companies. On the lower end the printers are focused on the concept of development improvement and functional prototyping, these 3D printers are developed for office use and the systems are user-friendly and cost-effective. (Essop, Sertoglu, Hanaphy, Petch, & Vialva, 2020) Most 3D printing companies are marketed towards the advanced companies and patrons that will provide them with the money they need to function, however as the years have passed there has also been an increase in the everyday consumers. Something as simple as a 3D pen can influence these consumers towards the world of 3D printing. However the 3D pen can be seen as the cheaper option and since they are easier to learn how to operate they are more appealing to consumers. The downfall is the 3D pen is not as accurate as the printer and is still seen as subpar when compared in an industry setting, but to the everyday consumer the pen holds a more appealing idea than a printer.
Currently the term 3D printing is associated in the veins of mass media, marketers of the technology,and decision makers. 3D printing showcases a new form of innovation that allows for companies in many fields to produce the products they provide at a lower cost than before. However the wide range of users, from amateurs, to business start-ups, to large-scale companies leads 3D printing down a path of the unknown. As more and more consumers become aware of the technological advancements and possibilities being created through the use of 3D printing technology we are led to wonder how these various consumers will use the printer. With 3D printers becoming cheaper and more commonplace we will eventually be able to use them for the creation of anything; because what use is an item that is useful in so many ways?
Societal Effects
There is currently no limit with the advancements being made with 3D printing. As cheaper materials are made to construct the printers the everyday consumers are able to afford them with ease. The website 3D Printing has a list of some current examples that industries are using 3D printers for: “consumer products (eyewear, footwear, design, furniture), industrial products (manufacturing tools, prototypes, functional end-use parts), dental products, prosthetics, architectural scale models & maquettes, reconstructing fossils, replicating ancient artifacts, reconstructing evidence in forensic pathology, and movie props.” (2020) There are more possibilities that the website does not list, in fact two of the uses that are not listed on the website are those that will be covered in more detail shortly. These are the medical or healthcare aspects of 3D printing and the artistic aspects of 3D printing. What does the future hold for 3D printing in these two areas and how can we best analyze them?
The Tetrad of Media Effects theory created by McLuhan, has been used as a model to analyze the impacts of technology on society and has been used as an effective way to assist in predicting the path technology could take. (Warren, 2010) “20 people die everyday waiting for an organ transplant in the United States, and while more than 30,000 transplants are now performed annually, there are over 113,000 patients currently on organ wait-lists.” (Brownell, 2019) In the medical field there have been experiments and studies conducted since 2016 (Scott, 2016) in regards to 3D printed human tissues and using them to repair or replace the damaged tissues. 3D printing may be useful in becoming the regular means of organ transplants if we can reach beyond only printed tissues. 3D printing amplifies the ability to construct tissues and human fibers that are genetically specific for each individual human. Due to this ability to possibly create organs, the need for donors might become obsolete and unnecessary unless a dire situation arises. However, this might not eliminate the wait times as we would think, instead of waiting for a suitable donor the patient might be waiting for their printed organ or tissue and then a new wait list would form and therefore we’d return to an old process for a new technology. If the 3D printer were to stay primarily within the medical community, the printer would end up becoming just another medical tool, and will become just another tool used to create the results needed to fix a problem.
The 3D printer grants the art world an ability to produce work in another way. The ability to create multiples of the same with ease would enhance people’s opportunities to create, an example is that of the stop motion studio Laika, they are able to create each mini-second facial reactions with ease through the use of 3D printing technology. (Stratasys, 2017) Handcrafted items could become obsolete as the 3D printing production becomes more market based. As long as there are still dedicated artists and tribes who practice handcrafted objects the techniques will still exist but they coils become rare. The use of 3D printing amplifies the production aspect of art. Similar to how in the 1800s in America a traveling art salesman would have pre-painted works of children without a face, so the parents could chose one and pay for their daughter or son’s face to be painted in the blank space, 3D printing will return to the already made product and the consumer’s need for art, rather than the hand made wonders of the world. After the technology becomes the new aesthetic technique for a few years, it will return to being a commodity or it will fall into the realm of just another tool at the artist’s disposal.
The Media Dependency Theory states that we grow an attachment to specific media (Communication Theory, 2018) and through this theory we can analyze how the medical and art worlds might become dependent towards the 3D printer. In the medical field those who are used to humans as the only supplies for donors, will depend on the old school way of waiting for an organ from a human rather than a machine. There is a counter to this where people will become dependent on the printers as they are more efficient and reliable with the process of creating the needed tissue or organ. In the art world people could become dependent on the older technology such as the ceramic wheel over the printers. Similar to the medical field there is a counter for the art world, where people’s dependency on the printers is related to their accuracy and the assembly line-like production. There is always a counter to the old technology’s dependency as the new technology also creates a dependency from the newer generations of consumers.
Forecasted Effects
As the 3D printer continues to advance through constant experimentation of the many uses of the printer, the way we control the technology is up to the people who use it the most. The Social Construction of Technology Theory “suggests that technology design is an open process that can produce different outcomes depending on the social circumstances of development. (Klein, H. & Kleinman, D., 2002) In other terms, the way the technology is used is entirely up to how we as humans determine the use. 3D printers are currently in the phase where they are passed around through many channels to different industries to determine their use. We can not determine what the 3D printer’s primary purpose will become yet, as far we know the 3D printer could become a commodity for the everyday consumer where, similar to regular printers, everyone has one in their home. They could become mandatory in every lab or hospital in order to produce the necessary organs and tissue. The 3D printer could primarily be used for the mass production of artistic goods. When the primary function of the 3D printer is decided, the rules and norms, how it should be used, when and by whom, will be developed by the everyday consumers.
References
Articles
3D Printing. (2020, June 02). What is 3D Printing? Retrieved from https://3dprinting.com/what-is-3d-printing/
Brownell, L. (2019, September 24). A swifter way towards 3D-printed organs. Retrieved from https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/a-swifter-way-towards-3d-printed-organs/
Communication Theory. (2018, November 02). Media Dependency Theory. Retrieved from https://www.communicationtheory.org/media-dependency-theory/
Essop, A., Sertoglu, K., Hanaphy, P., Petch, M., & Vialva, T. (2020, June 02). The Free Beginner’s Guide: 01 Basics. Retrieved from https://3dprintingindustry.com/3d-printing-basics-free-beginners-guide
Essop, A., Sertoglu, K., Hanaphy, P., Petch, M., & Vialva, T. (2020, June 02). The Free Beginner’s Guide: 03 Process. Retrieved from https://3dprintingindustry.com/3d-printing-basics-free-beginners-guide#03-technology
Flynt, J. (2018, February 02). History of 3D Printing Timeline: Who Invented 3D Printing. Retrieved from https://3dinsider.com/3d-printing-history/
Klein, H. & Kleinman, D. (2002). The Social Construction of Technology: Structural Considerations. Science Technology & Human Values — SCI TECHNOL HUM VAL. 27. 28–52. 10.1177/016224390202700102.
Rogers, E. (2003). Diffusion of Innovations. (5th ed.). New York, NY: The Free Press.
Scott, C. (2016, December 15). Wake Forest Researchers Successfully Implant Living, Functional 3D Printed Human Tissue Into Animals. 3DPrint.com: The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing. Retrieved from https://3dprint.com/119885/wake-forest-3d-printed-tissue/
Warren, K. (2010, September 19). Marshall McLuhan Tetrad of Media Effects. Retrieved from https://ambientenvironments.wordpress.com/2010/09/20/marshall-mcluhan-tetrad-of-media-effects/
Images/Videos
3D Printing Industry. (2020). 3D Print Process [Digital image]. Retrieved from https://3dprintingindustry.com/3d-printing-basics-free-beginners-guide#03-technology
Hitch, J. (2017, February 06). Research and Development [Digital image]. Retrieved from https://www.newequipment.com/research-and-development/article/22059147/whats-holding-back-3d-printers-from-making-end-use-parts
Schacht, J. (2012, January 20). Diffusion of 3D Printing [Digital image]. Retrieved from https://madameeureka.wordpress.com/diffusion-of-3d-printing/
Stratasys (Director). (2017, November 14). LAIKA Studios Brings their Characters to Life with GrabCAD Voxel Print [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTCkLmKHR2s
Warren, K. (2010, September 19). Tetrad of Media Effects | McLuhan 1988 [Digital image]. Retrieved from https://ambientenvironments.wordpress.com/2010/09/20/marshall-mcluhan-tetrad-of-media-effects/
